If you have a WordPress site, you’re probably quite familiar with Google AdWords and Analytics. However, what you may not be aware of is that you can link the two together in order to track your AdWords campaign by using Google Analytics. However, for many site owners this can prove quite difficult, as there isn’t that much information out there on how to set the two up in order for them to work together. Remember, it is also possible to pay a company to manage your AdWords campaign and this may be beneficial during the early stages. However, if you do want to try and do it on your own, keep reading for some advice.
Installing Analytics
If you don’t already have Google Analytics installed, you will need to do so first. This can be done easily by downloading and enabling the Google Analytics plugin on your WordPress site. In order to make authenticating the plugin easier, you will need to log in to your Google Analytics account in a new browser tab. Once you have done this, return to WordPress and select Settings – Google Analytics. Since you’re already logged in, you should be able to easily select the correct profile and account.
Check ad Enable Auto-Tagging
You will now need to check whether or not your site supports AdWords auto-tagging. You can do this by entering your site address into your browser and adding the text ‘?gclid=testing’ to the end before telling your browser to go to that address. If you still see the added text in your browser bar after the page has loaded, you know that your site supports auto-tagging. Next, you will need to log in to AdWords to ensure that auto-tagging is enabled.
Linking the Two Accounts
Now that both your AdWords and Analytics accounts are set up, it’s time to link them both together in order to share data between them. Go to your AdWords account, and select Tools & Analysis – Google Analytics. Once the resulting page is loaded, click the option for Admin, where you’ll be able to select the Google Analytics account that you would like to link. Click on the Data Sources tab, and then click ‘Link Accounts’. You should now have successfully linked the two.
Final Checks
In order to make sure that your Analytics account is tracking your Google AdWords properly, you’ll need to go over your settings and make some final checks. You should still be looking at the Data Sources tab from the Tools & Analytics menu. Click on Properties, and select the first Analytics profile that you would like to set up AdWords tracking for. On the resulting page, click on Tracking Code. Scroll down and you should be presented with the question ‘What are you tracking?’ and a series of checkboxes. Ensure that the Google AdWords checkbox is selected before you save your settings.
It really is that simple – link your Analytics and AdWords accounts today to start tracking your data and better managing your campaign.